Tire with spliced film innerliner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016167433-A1
Application number	US-201414571648-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2014
Priority date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire having an alloy film innerliner with a rubber reinforced spliced overlapping ends.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A pneumatic tire is provided having an innerliner comprised of a an innerliner film having an inner surface covering the tire carcass's inner surface in a circumferential direction and having an outer surface adjacent to an internal air cavity of said tire;
wherein the innerliner film has its two end portions overlapping each other to form a splice comprised of an inner first end portion adjacent to the tire rubber carcass and an outer second end portion adjacent to the internal air cavity of the pneumatic tire; wherein said innerliner film splice is comprised of: (A) the overlapping inner first and outer second end portions of said innerliner film bonded through a first rubber strip positioned therebetween, wherein said first rubber strip extends in a circumferential direction beyond said splice on the inner surface of the innerliner film to further bond a combination of a surface of said inner end portion of the innerliner film, said inner surface of the innerliner film and said tire rubber carcass, and (B) a second rubber strip abridging and bonded to the a surface of said outer second end portion of the innerliner film and outer surface of said innerliner film adjacent to the internal air cavity of said pneumatic tire; wherein said innerliner film is comprised of from about 40 to about 85 weight percent of a thermoplastic polyamide-based polymer, which is comprised of a copolymer of a diamine and dicarboxylic acid and from about 15 to about 60 weight percent of dispersed domains therein comprised of at least one of: (C) copolymer or mixture comprised of a polyamide-based segment and a polyether-based segment, and (D) polymer comprised of at least one of polyalkylene glycol, polyoxyalkylene diamine and copolymers thereof.

2 . The tire of claim 1 wherein the first and second rubber strips are comprised of at least one sulfur curable diene-based elastomer comprised of at least one polymer at least one of isoprene and 1,3-butadiene and of styrene with at least one of isoprene and 1,3-butadiene, wherein said elastomer is exclusive of a copolymer of isobutylene and diene hydrocarbon.

3 . The tire of claim 1 wherein the location of innerliner film splice is spaced apart from any tire rubber carcass ply splice.

4 . The tire of claim 1 wherein the innerliner film is coated on both of its sides with an RFL adhesive.

5 . The tire of claim 1 wherein tire rubber carcass is comprised of a sulfur curable diene-based elastomer comprised of at least one polymer of at least one of isoprene and of 1,3-butadiene and of styrene with at least one of isoprene and 1,3-butadiene, exclusive of a copolymer of isobutylene and diene hydrocarbon.

6 . The tire of claim 1 wherein copolymer of diamine and dicarboxylic acid of the innerliner film is at least one of nylon 6, nylon 6-6, nylon 4,6, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6,10 and nylon 6,12.

7 . The tire of claim 1 wherein copolymer of diamine and dicarboxylic acid of the innerliner film is at least one of polycaprolactam (nylon 6) and copolymer of hexamethylenediame and adipic acid (nylon 6-6) and said dispersed copolymer is comprised of a polyamide segment and a polyether-based segment.

8 . The tire of claim 4 wherein said RFL adhesive is comprised of a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin/styrene-butadiene vinylpyridine latex optionally containing a styrene-butadiene rubber latex, and optionally containing a blocked isocyanate.

9 . The tire of claim 1 wherein said first and second rubber strips are comprised of at least one sulfur curable diene-based elastomer.

10 . A method of preparing a pneumatic tire comprises:
(A) applying a second rubber strip onto and in line with the axis of a cylindrical tire building drum, (B) applying and adhering a first end portion of a sheet of a tire innerliner film containing first and second end portions thereof onto said second rubber strip wherein the second rubber strip extends the width of the innerliner film, (C) applying a first rubber strip onto said first end portion of said innerliner film in line with and opposite to said second inner rubber strip and on an opposite side of the first end portion of the innerliner film, wherein the first rubber strip extends the width of the innerliner film, (D) wrapping said sheet of innerliner film in a circumferential direction around said cylindrical tire building drum to align a second end portion of the innerliner film with its first end portion in an overlapping relationship with said first rubber strip therebetween to form an innerliner film splice, (E) building a tire carcass rubber ply in a circumferential direction around and onto said innerliner film splice with the ends of the carcass rubber ply overlapping each other to form a carcass ply splice positioned at a location spaced apart from the location of the innerliner film splice followed by building the remainder of the tire components over the carcass ply to form a pneumatic tire having an internal air cavity, wherein said first rubber strip extends in a circumferential direction beyond said innerliner splice on the surface of the innerliner film to further bond a combination of a surface of said inner end portion of the innerliner film, surface of the innerliner film and said tire rubber carcass; wherein said second rubber strip abridges and is bonded to said outer second end portion of the innerliner film and said innerliner film adjacent to the internal air cavity of said pneumatic tire; wherein said innerliner film is comprised of at least 40 to about 85 weight percent of a thermoplastic polyamide-based polymer and from about 15 to about 60 weight percent of dispersed domains therein comprised of at least one of: (F) copolymers comprised of a polyamide-based segment and a polyether-based segment of elastomer, and (G) polymer comprised of at least one of polyalkylene glycol polyoxyalkylene diamine and copolymers thereof.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein said thermoplastic polyamide-based polymer is comprised of at least one of nylon 6, nylon 6-6, nylon 46, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6,10 and nylon 6,12.

12 . The method of claim 10 wherein said innerliner film is comprised of at least one of polycaprolactam (nylon 6) and copolymer of hexamethylenediame and adipic acid (nylon 6-6) and said dispersed copolymer is comprised of a polyamide segment and a polyether-based segment.

13 . The method of claim 10 wherein both sides of said innerliner film contains an RFL coating wherein said RFL adhesive is comprised of a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin/styrene-butadiene vinylpyridine latex optionally containing a styrene-butadiene rubber latex and/or blocked isocyanate, and
wherein the said first and second rubber strips are comprised of at least one sulfur curable diene-based elastomer.

14 . The method of claim 10 wherein the location of said innerliner film splice is spaced apart from any carcass ply splice.

15 . The method of claim 10 which further comprises curing the tire in a suitable mold at an elevated temperature.

16 . The method of claim 11 which further comprises curing the tire in a suitable mold at an elevated temperature.

17 . The method of claim 12 which further comprises curing the tire in a suitable mold at an elevated temperature.

18 . The method of claim 13 which further comprises curing the tire in a suitable mold at an elevated temperature.

19 . The method of claim 14 which further comprises curing the tire in a suitable mold at an elevated temperature.

Assignees

• Goodyear Tire & Rubber

Inventors

• Lee Byoung Jo
• Dunker Philip Alan
• Phillipson Joshua Aaron
• Brainerd Ii John Fleming

Classifications

• B60C5/14

  with impervious liner or coating on the inner wall of the tyre · CPC title

• B60C2009/0408

  Carcass joints or splices · CPC title

• B60C2005/147

  characterised by the joint or splice · CPC title

• B29D2030/423

  Joining by overlapping · CPC title

• B29D2030/421

  General aspects of the joining methods and devices for creating the bands · CPC title